Not now! I know that much. But in two years when there is an option for a sixth at the ML minimum? Hear me out.

Now that the Sox have an option for a 6th year of John Lackey at $500k, would they be able to trade him after exercising that option? If Lackey can pitch 150+ innings at an ERA at or under 5.00 for the next two years, I can imagine a low budget NL team like the Padres taking him on for a year at that price, and giving up some pretty good prospects. What would one year of 150 innings and 5.00 ERA cost in free agency? Five million? And if the Padres or the Rockies could get it for just 500k, they might jump on the chance.

Why bother to trade him? If Boston do, they would eventually find another pitcher via free agency. This year free agency pitchers are still getting 8 to 15 millions dollars a year!! That is about the same as Lackey's.

Wasn't the purpose of adding a year to Lackey's contract to get benefit out of him for an additional year should he require surgery prior to that. What if he won 15 games that year for a $500,000 salary? Wouldn't that be good?

What if he loses 25 games, wouldn't that be bad?

Yes, then they wouldn't be able to trade him anyways. Just release him.

if that "free" year can be transferred between teams and he is playing well teams would pay through the nose to get a quality pitcher for 15Mil under market value. also it would tree up a spot in the rotation for FA, trade target or budding prospect.

if that "free" year can be transferred between teams and he is playing well teams would pay through the nose to get a quality pitcher for 15Mil under market value. also it would tree up a spot in the rotation for FA, trade target or budding prospect.

if that "free" year can be transferred between teams and he is playing well teams would pay through the nose to get a quality pitcher for 15Mil under market value. also it would tree up a spot in the rotation for FA, trade target or budding prospect.

Probably, but even if he isn't the Lackey of 2007 ever again, he'd have to be pretty terrible not to be worth even $500,000 (to us or to some other team). That option year could make things pretty interesting when all is said and done.

Lackey will not get much of a return now and perhaps he will return to original form.. Now that they have signed ShaVic and Demp they should look at a mini blockbuster and trade Ells and Lester to Texas for Andrus and Moreland if the Nap deal falls through.

our best bet to trade lackey is after this season. if he pitches well then a team would be willing to pick up his contract knowing they would get a "free" year at the end.

If he pitches well, why would we want to trade him? I get that many see him as part of the problem (2010 & 2011 teams, Chicken & Beer etc, his lost season due to surgury)...Fact of the matter is, it's not his fault that Epstein threw a ton of cash at him knowing that he came with a pre-existing elbow condition. One that he tried to pitch through for two season with lackluster results before finally sucumbing and needing surgury. In the process never once did Lackey refuse to take the ball and give it his all and even after getting his hat handed to him on a few occasions did he ever say it was due to his elbow...

Entering the 2013 season Lackey has the opportunity to reinvent himself and if he regains the form that made him one of the best big game pitchers in the league pre 2009. My guess is that many of his detractors will forget his perceived transgressions and occially join the John Lackey fan club...End of the day it's in his best interest to come back healthy. Take the ball every five days and show he's still able to get out big league hitters. Then the jeers in fenway will fade to cheers and all will be forgiven...that's the nature of being a professional pitcher...